Alone at last?
by Fett-spy
Summary: Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura are all thrust into the forest death for a "survival exercise". Really it's nothing more that a ploy by anko to get the ninja together finally, and maybe make a few ryo in the process, but they don't need to know that, right?


**Hey guys! Sorry for being out of it for so long! Summer's kept me fairly busy, but I think it's going to be letting up a little bit soon. As for my other stories, i'm still working as diligently as possible on them, check 'em out, maybe you'll like what you read! Anyway, here's a little oneshot I wrote out of a few hours of boredom, please enjoy!**

"What the fuck! Let us out!" Naruto screamed, slamming against the barrier of the forest of death. Anko grinned maniacally at him in response, causing him to grind his teeth in anger.

"I told ya brat, survival training! You'll be monitored throughout the entire thing, and you'll be LET out once we feel you adequately display survival skills fit for that of your level. No scram!" and with that, she vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Naruto sighed as he banged his head against the barrier. Turning around, he took a moment to observe the small group he would be stuck with for kami knows how long. Hinata poked her fingers as she looked at the ground, a light shade of pink dusting her beautiful pale skin. Her usually long lavender hair had been cut back to how it was when they were kids, and she still wore her large hoodie. Sakura and Sasuke chatted about menial things, attempting to pass the time apparently. Naruto sighed once more before strolling over with his team and striking up conversation.

"So how long do you think we'll be stuck out here for anyway?" he wondered aloud. Sasuke shrugged as he fiddled with a kunai.

"Dunno man, she said we'd be in here until we displayed what they deem 'adequate' survival skills." Naruto smirked as he looked up into the canopy. He'd been glad he was able to finally knock some sense into his best friend two years back. Ever since then he'd changed completely. Gone was the dark, ever-plotting emo, replaced by a grinning, happy, partner in crime to Naruto.

"Well, guess we should hunt and get dinner right?" he asked, earning a murmur of agreement. "Got it covered! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Nothing happend. Naruto stared at his seal, dumbfounded. Sasuke burst out laughing while Sakura berated him for not being able to perform his favorite jutsu. Hinata hugged her knees to her chest as she watched their antics, silently activating her Byakugan, only for nothing to happen. She tried again, only to receive the same result.

"Ano...I-I think there's something w-wrong with our chakra..." she piped up. All heads whirled around to her as if they'd forgotten her presence. She blushed slightly and retreated into her coat.

"What do you mean?" Naruto blurted out.

"W-well, I tried to activate my Byakugan to see what Naruto-kun's p-problem was, but I c-can't activate it." Naruto continued to stare with a blank look, Sakura began panicking as she struck a tree, only to hurt herself. Sasuke frowned as he tried activating his Sharingan, only to receive no result.

"Damnit, look like she's right. Guess we gotta get dinner the old fashioned way!" he kip-upped to his feet and began walking, aimlessly observing the wildlife around them. Naruto yelled out a string of profanities before following Sasuke. Sakura promptly followed, leaving Hinata to bring up the rear. As the group wondered, Naruto and Sasuke pelted any wildlife in sight with various weapons until they had a sizable feast for the night.

"Sasuke get a fire going, i gotta take a piss!" Naruto called as he walked into a set of bushes.

"Naruto do you REALLY have to say those things?!" Sakura yelled, a look of disgust written clearly on her face. Hinata blushed madly as she sat on the ground by the fire pit. Sasuke guffawed once more before blowing a puff of flame over the wood they'd gathered. Hinata helped him set up the meat to cook as Sakura passed a bamboo flute of water around. As they waited on the meat, Sakura sighed in exasperation.

"Where the hell is that baka?! It doesn't take 15 minutes to pee!" she yelled in frustration. Sasuke chuckled as he stood up.

"I'll go che-!" Naruto walked into their small camp with a rather large python dragging behind him.

"What the?! Where;d you get the snake dobe?" Sasuke asked with a surprised look. Naruto grunted as he dropped it to the ground, before flopping down beside Hinata.

"Bastard tried to make me a snack when I went to pee. Remember that snake that attacked when we in the Chunin exams? There was one just a bit smaller than that one, came after me after it saw me kill that one," Naruto nodded towards the giant snake carcass, "I got both of 'em, but it was a pain in the ass without my ninjutsu ya know?" All three shinobi simply stared at him.

"What?"

* * *

After a hearty meal, the four were prepping their makeshift beds when an earsplitting crack resonated throughout the forest. Before they could even react, a ridiculously sized tree branch came falling towards them. Naruto and Sasuke both grabbed Hinata and Sakura and sprang out to each side, narrowly escaping a rather uncomfortable demise. Naruto gripped the quivering Hyuga heiress for dear life as he quickly scanned the trees above, narrowing his eyes at a flit in the shadows. He looked down on the wide-eyed Hinata in his arms and grinned sheepishly.

"Hehe...s-sorry about that. I didn't mean to be so rough, are you okay?" He gulped as he got a good look at the girl in his arms. _'Oh man she's cute. There's no way I can tell her...'_

**"Kit you suck, you know that right?"**

_'What are you talking about Kyuu?' _Naruto asked in confusion. He frowned as he heard the fox heave a monstrous sigh.

**"She loves you, you buffoon!"** he growled. Before the blonde could ask Kurama kicked him from his mindscape, leaving him to look back at the form in his arms.

'_She loves me?' _he thought, making his mouth go dry, his knees feel like jelly, and his hands shake. He shook his head, deciding they'd handle things once they found a new place to rest. He shakily stood up, bringing the ever blushing Hyuga with him. _'Guess that would explain the blushes...' _ he mused silently.

"Ano...T-Thank y-you Naruto-kun" Hinata squeaked, pressing her fingers and looking to the ground.

"Huh? Oh no problem! I-I'm sure you would've done the same for me!" he said, grinning sheepishly. She mumbled something incoherent before making herself slightly smaller. Naruto laughed nervously, blushing before walking to find Sasuke and Sakura

"YO TEME! You alive?!" Naruto yelled as he jumped over the massive branch, looking through the dust cloud for his other teammates. He cracked a grin as Sasuke and Sakura made their way through the dust cloud to him and Hinata.

"Welp, looks like we're gonna have to find somewhere else for the night." Sasuke sighed. Naruto gave a small smile as he lead them on their search of shelter. The group started walking, but instead of team 7 at the front and Hinata in the back, Sasuke and Sakura lead them, with Naruto and Hinata in the back. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it at the last second. He closed his eyes and focused, opening them inside of his mindscape.

"Hey Kyuu!" He yelped, smirking as he heard the oversized fox grumble as it turned to him.

**"What do you want Kit?" **Kurama grunted. Naruto scowled, but then his face softened. He scratched the back of his head and looked down slightly.

"How...how can I be sure she likes me? Much less love me!" he asked, clearly confused. His head shot up as he heard the beast chuckle.

**"Kit, I know you're more dense than the earth itself, but think for me here. Remember the days of the Academy? How she'd always watch you from a distance? the Chunin exams? the Bikochou mission? **Kurama grinned as a small look of realization made it's way across Naruto's face.

"I-I just always thought she was sick or something!" he said, dumbfounded. Kurama laughed once more.

**"Like I said, more dense than the earth. Go get her Kit, cause i'm not letting you back in til you do!" **punting him out of his mindscape once more. Naruto opened his eyes once more, seeing that his conversation with the fox had only cost him a few real time seconds. He shook his head, sneaking another look at the lavender-eyed beauty merely a few feet from him. He gulped as a blush crept across his cheeks.

The group continued their trek for another 10 minutes, when Naruto groaned. Everyone looked at him quizically, wondering what the problem was.

"Rain. Lots of damn rain." He said with a sullen look. Sakura opened her mouth to object, and a comical downpour befell them, drenching them to the bone in mere minutes. With a sigh, they continued onward. As they continued, the rain seemed to get colder, chilling the group to their core. Naruto frowned as he looked over everyone. Sasuke frowned at the huddled Sakura that pressed against him for warmth, Hinata shivered as she walked a few feet to his side. Quashing his nerves, he shed his jacket and put it around her shoulders, much to her surprise.

"You'll get a cold if you don't keep warm." he said softly.

"N-Naruto you need it t-" she was cut off with a chuckle.

"I'll be fine, trust me, you need it." He smiled once more, meeting her eyes. Both turned away abruptly, blushes accompanying their cheeks.

"For kami's sake, finally!" Sasuke groaned as a cave came into view. The small group filed into the cave and practically fell to the floor from fatigue. Naruto looked at everyone and sighed, clearly noting he was going to be the one to take first watch.

"Alright, i'll take the watch. Everyone get some sleep." he said, taking a seat at the mouth of the cave. Everyone gave their quiet thanks before settling down.

* * *

A few hours later, the storm continued to rage, looked upon by the blonde shinobi. He was interrupted from his thoughts as he heard a few quiet rustles. He flipped around with a kunai at hand, only to discover Hinata was no longer sleeping contently. She was hunched up against the wall, clinging to Naruto's jacket for dear life. She sniffled and sneezed miserably, feverishly trying to get sleep. Naruto pocketed the kunai and silently made his way towards her.

"H-Hinata?" he asked quietly, gently shaking her. Her lilac eyes flashed open, looking at him fearfully.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" she murmured, retreating into his jacket.

"Are you okay? You look like you're sick!" he spoke, worry evident in his voice. She shook her head, sniffling some more. She gave him a weak smile before answering.

"I-I-I'm f-fine..." she chattered, cursing herself for looking so weak in front of her crush. Naruto frowned as he looked at her. He scooped her up bridal style, smirking at the small 'Eep!' he managed to get out of her, before plopping back down on the ground. He spread his legs to give her room to sit, then pulled her close, constantly rubbing her back to try and get her warm.

Hinata swallowed hard as she realized how close she was to her longtime crush, but willed herself not to faint. She shivered madly but felt the chills replaced by a warm sensation. Bit by bit, she laid herself against his firm chest, letting his strong heartbeat lull her into safety. Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling herself closer. She bit her lip when she felt him stiffen, but smiled slightly as she felt him relax and pull her close.

**"Come on you dense fucker..."** Kurama muttered as he watched the scene play out. Naruto gulped as he looked at the form of Hinata in his arms.

"H-hey Hinata?"

"Yes Naruto-kun?" she murmured, peering up at him from her cocoon of his jacket and arms. He swallowed even harder, feeling his face heat up dramatically.

"Um, I-I've, um, kinda been wanting...t-t-to tell you something..." he trailed off nervously. Hinata looked at him worriedly, wondering what was wrong.

"I-I-I...I'm...uh...Iloveyou" he blurted nervously, immediately squeezing his eyes shut. He cracked an eye open when he felt her remove herself from him. She was kneeling in front of him, staring wide-eyed.

"W-what did you say?" she asked, barely audible. He gulped once more before looking at her.

"I...I love you" he said, his voice shaky. Hinata gaze eyes got impossibly wider as the full force of Naruto's words hit her.

_'Come on! Don't you faint damnit! Tell him how you feel!' _She screamed in her head. As she warred with her mind, she continued to stare at Naruto, making him shift uncomfortably. Her wide-eyed gaze was broken once she heard him sigh and stand up.

"Listen...I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have said that. We'll still b-oof!" Naruto was interrupted as Hinata tackled him, pressing her face to his chest with her arms around him.

"Don't be sorry. I...I l-love you too" she said, her voice muffled through his chest. He blinked as the cogs spun and he processed the fact that she had reciprocated his feelings. He lifted her up to face him, looking at her lovely pale eyes.

"Don't lie to me...please." he said softly, gripping her arms tightly. She smiled as tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm not lying." she said, crashing her lips against his. He was shocked momentarily, but quickly snaked his arms around her, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. They broke for air, Naruto slowly running his hand up and down her back. He chuckled nervously as he began to speak.

"So, uh, will you go out with me?" he asked cautiously. Hinata giggled as she leaned up and pecked his cheek.

"Nothing would make me happier Naruto-kun".

* * *

"Oh YES. YES! COUGH IT UP. EVERY DAMN ONE OF YA!" Anko shouted as she did a little victory dance. Asuma, Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, Tsunade, Shizune, along with the rookie 11 all groaned as they pulled out 100 ryo and begrudgingly handed it to the snake user.

"How? I mean, Naruto's as dense as they come!" Kiba exclaimed as he mourned his week's pay. Anko chuckled heartily as she counted up the bets.

"Told ya they'd get together, I told ya too bet on the kid, but noooo, no one trusts little ol' Anko" she chirped. Everyone grumbled in response.

"Alright! Bets on Sasuke and Sakura?" she asked with a toothy grin. Everyone maniacally began making bets in a feeble attempt to win back their lost cash.

**So there it is! Hope you guys liked it! I MIGHT write a SasuSaku sequel to this if I get any requests, so if it's what you want, speak up! As always, all reviews, good, bad, and ugly are appreciated, so let me know what you think!**

**Catcha later!-Fett-spy**


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